FULL VIDEO AT THE END OF THIS POST
YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HE TOLD JUDGE JUDY!
An Attorney's Office Remodel Goes Wrong
Imagine an attorney, with two degrees, hiring someone he knew as a barista to redesign his law office.
That is the unusual situation Judge Judy faces.
The Parties and Their Claims
Mr. Overt, an attorney from Long Beach, California, is the plaintiff.
He claims the defendant, Mr. Bork, did a negligent job.
Mr. Overt wants his money back for the botched office redesign and refurbishment.
Mr. Bork, the defendant, has a counterclaim.
He seeks money he spent before Mr. Overt fired him.
How They Met
Judge Judy asks Mr. Bork about his history with Mr. Overt.
Mr. Bork recalls meeting Mr. Overt about eight years ago.
It was at a coffee shop where Mr. Bork worked.
Mr. Overt was a customer.
Their paths crossed again in May of this year.
Mr. Bork was working in retail at a furniture store.
Mr. Bork's Background
Judge Judy probes Mr. Bork's professional background.
He had worked in television production for seven and a half years.
He started as a PA and became a showrunner's assistant.
Before that, he worked in a coffee shop.
Then, he spent four months in a furniture store.
His educational background is a bachelor's degree in political science and education.
Judge Judy notes his lack of formal design training.
Mr. Bork mentions experience in TV production design.
He also states he was a production designer for a web series and had private design clients.
Judge Judy emphasizes his lack of recent, in-charge design work.
Judge Judy Questions the Attorney's Judgment
Judge Judy turns to Mr. Overt, the attorney.
She highlights his two degrees and law office.
She asks where he "parked his brains" when hiring Mr. Bork.
Mr. Overt explains the undertaking was not "massive."
He describes his office as a thousand square feet.
He says Mr. Bork seemed to have more knowledge than him.
Mr. Overt also needed "manpower" for the project.
Judge Judy presses him on the need for manpower.
Mr. Overt compares remodeling to planning a wedding.
He says there are a "thousand decisions."
Judge Judy states she would hire someone with recommendations.
She would want to see their work.
She finds it odd that Mr. Overt hired someone based on serving coffee and working in a furniture store.
The Table That Started It All
Mr. Overt clarifies how the design project began.
It started with Mr. Bork offering to help repair a table.
Mr. Overt had purchased the table from the furniture store where Mr. Bork worked.
Judge Judy questions why he bought a table needing repair.
Mr. Overt explains it was new but "delaminated on the top."
He mentioned it while shopping at the store.
Mr. Bork claimed he knew how to repair it.
Judge Judy is skeptical.
She points out Mr. Overt bought a defective item a year prior.
Yet, he returned to the same store to buy more furniture.
The Payments and the Wood
Mr. Overt states he paid Mr. Bork $39 an hour for design service.
He made an initial payment of $312.
He then made another payment of $2,750.
Judge Judy dismisses the $312 payment.
She reasons Mr. Overt would not have paid more if he was unhappy.
The $2,750 payment was made on May 15.
It was a deposit for a wood product.
This wood was for the main wall of the office.
It was for materials.
The Missing Wood and the Invoice
Judge Judy asks Mr. Bork if he ordered the wood.
He confirms he did.